Westringia fruticosa (Coast Rosemary) - This dense evergreen shrub that in cultivation here in California typically grows to be a 4-6 feet tall mound and nearly twice as wide and can be left as a dense rounded shrub or be sheared for a more formal look. The linear dark gray-green leaves look similar to rosemary foliage, explaining one of the synonyms for this plant, Westringia rosmariniformis. The small white flowers bloom along the branches year-round in mild climates (spring-bloomer in colder areas). Plant in full sun where it is drought tolerant but keeps better color and remains more dense when given occasional spring and summer irrigation. Hardy to about 20° F. It is an excellent densely growing shrub for coastal plantings where it can tolerate wind and sea spray. Westringia fruticosa is native to the coast of New South Wales where it can be seen hugging the cliffs and growing near the sand on the beach. It was first introduced into cultivation in the U.S. by William Walker at his Golden Gate Nursery in San Francisco in 1858 and we have been growing this great shrub since 1984. It has long proven itself to be useful, fairly drought tolerant and long lived in the landscape. The name for the genus was given to it by Sir James Edward Smith, an English botanist and founder of the Linnaean Society in 1788. The name honors Dr. Johan Peter Westring (1753-1833), a botanist and physician to King Charles XIII of Sweden who was a student of Linnaeus. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word 'frutico' meaning "to put forth shoots" or "become bushy", likely in reference to the dense bushiness of this species. We also grow several cultivars of this species including the variegated forms Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' and Westringia fruticosa 'Smokey' and the low growing Westringia fruticosa Mundi as well as the hybrids Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem' and Westringia 'Wynyabbie Highlight'.
This description is based on our research and the observations we have made of this plant as it grows in containers at our nursery, in our own garden and in other gardens. We also appreciate receiving feedback of any kind from those who have additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written or if they have additional cultural tips that would aid others in growing Westringia fruticosa.